The STP Family: Sagittarius, Tranquility (?), and Yes, Persistence

When I was young, in the 70s, I spent a good deal of time on the road, sticking out my thumb, heading for adventure. The summer of 1972 was pivotal for me personally, a reckoning that came when my naive countercultural wave crashed on the rocks of human nature. That is a long story, and I wrote about it a bit a few years ago, of the draft hanging over me that summer (my lottery number was 5), of many adventures and characters encountered, of contracting salmonella at Earth People’s Park in Vermont, of hitching to the first Rainbow Family of Living Light festival in Colorado, where I had a relapse, of my disillusionment with the counterculture of the time.

But I have never written about, and seldom thought about, the STP Family.

The STP Family was a rough tribe of street hippies that seemed to be everywhere the counterculture was collectively burning out in the early 70s. Originating in NYC, they moved en masse to the mountains near Boulder, but traveled widely. They could be found panhandling in Boston and Berkeley, by the side of the road, thumbs out, just about anywhere, in the camps reserved for drinkers at various festivals.

The story I heard was that “STP” stood for “Serenity, Tranquility, Peace”, and that the STP Family was formed by a group of Greenwich Village hippies who vowed to stay high on STP, a psychedelic drug of the era that kept one in a hallucinatory state for 72 hours, as opposed to LSD’s 12.

Why anyone thought that such a regimen would bring serenity or tranquility or peace is beyond me. Though they were very young.

Another version was that it stood for “Sagittarius, Taurus, Pisces”, the astrological signs of the three founders.

And there are other accounts.

STP Family photo…

Whatever the case, the Family evolved into a very hard living, drug addled subsect of the counterculture. Most people just thought of them as burnouts, and some called them “street monsters”.

They were panhandlers and dealers and thieves, ripoff artists and drunks. They took any drug they could score and were noteworthy for the glazed look in their eyes.

You could spot them by their clothes. Their “habit” consisted of denim patched with leather and scraps of cloth, with an “STP” emblem, the logo of the oil treatment company, somewhere in the mix. Often their clothing was decorated with the skulls of small animals.

They were dirty and smelly and they were violent ( unlike most hippies outside of Detroit, they liked guns). They were violent not least because also unlike most hippies, who limited alcohol use to the occasional bottle of wine, they drank heavily.

Very heavily; mostly rotgut wine, but liquor of any kind they could get their hands on as well. One concoction, of grape Kool Aid and Everclear grain alcohol, was called Purple Jesus.

In Colorado they lived in the mountains in tents, lean-tos and cabins. They claimed to be mountain men, and bragged of killing bears. Probably bullshit, but they did have necklaces of what they said were bear claws, and leather laces from which hung alleged bear teeth.

More bizarrely, there are eyewitnesses that said the Family ate their dead in a spiritual ceremony. Granted, these witnesses had imbibed large doses of hallucinogens and God knows what, but you never know.

They were the original primitives, the Neanderthal tribe of the counterculture.

I never knew anything about their individual backgrounds. The vibe was rough, like the Hell’s Angels without bikes and resources, and one assumed that these were working class folks. Like I said, they brought Detroit to mind. But maybe that was part of the facade; the Village origins, and some rumored history with anarchist offshoots of the Yippies may indicate that these were grad school dropouts, the sons of lawyers.

I knew Spooky a little; I met him in Boston, where I was peddling underground newspapers on Harvard Square to make money for travel. He was stoned out, for sure, but oddly gentle, for an STP guy. He always carried a grey kitten and his eyes looked to some place far away.

If the Family had one virtue it was loyalty to one another. They called themselves a “family” and like a family they stuck up for one another, as many a hapless fool discovered when he insulted one of them.

A lot of them met violent deaths. Deputy Dawg, for example, was murdered by a Colorado cop, who got away with it but made a confession on his deathbed. Dawg was all of 19 when he died.

I recount all of this because the other night, goofing on the internet, I searched for the STP Family.

And found, to my surprise, that not only were they not all dead, but they have an online presence and occasional reunions. There are pages of photos posted by their kids, of when dad and mom were the dregs of the counterculture, like the albums we have of my mom and dad as young spiffily dressed newlyweds, straight off the farm.

It is a testimony to human resilience that not only are a lot of that ragtag band still alive, they have children and grandchildren, some of whom wax nostalgic about their folks, like, well, most people.

That those so far gone did not die but lived to see children and grandchildren, to navigate the earthly sphere with some semblance of normalcy after such a druggy, dazed sojourn, is a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit and of the human body. It is like me, reconnecting with old druggy friends, to find that not only did the ones who did not OD make it through, but many of them appear to have done better than a lot of my religious friends from the era. It is purely anecdotal, but the stoners have a much lower divorce rate, with the girlfriends they married, than my zealous Christian friends had with their spouses.

Life is full of mystery and complexity. Any conclusions are tentative.

I had no love for the STP Family in my traveling days. I was wary of them, as was anyone with any sense. Indeed, they were only the most colorful examples of the sorts of characters I encountered in my travels that summer, who collectively soured me on my counterculture dreams.

But I am unspeakably grateful that so many of them appear to have survived and prospered.

123 Responses

It seems I spot these posts long after they were initially put up. I was on the hill in 1969/1970 and was acquainted with Deputy Dawg – as well as STP John – who were the 2 people I liked of the STP family. I was more so one of those Urantia Freaks on the hill that first came into town in April of 1969. It is wild going out there now because everyone has a Urantia book these days…In those days I spent a lot of time on the Hill at first – but then in Nederland and Aspen. Those days I moved around a lot via thumb and was back and forth between home (Massachusetts) and mainly Colorado. I haven’t been back for a visit since 2001 – but would like to again before I stop breathing. It was a different time back then…..much of it in Boulder I have great and happy memories of.

Mouse, did you know Eric – fairly tall, long brown wavy hair, frequently wore a red coat – like a colonial officer, and I think a missing tooth near the front? I had a Urantia book and knew some of those folks but only remember Eric, Tom O’Brien, and think, Jana. I left Boulder end of ’69. Wonder if we ever met? STP Goodwoman

OMG!!!!!!!!!! ERIC WAS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE AS WELL AS TOM –AND TOM WAS WITH MARGO WHO GREW UP IN THE AREA…YES – YES – YES—I KNEW THEM WELL! MY FAMILY!!!! We had to have met – I have no doubt….i was a little skinny thing with the typical long blonde hair parted in the middle wearing a hawk feather in my hair – people knew me from my black poncho with white flowers from Ecquador (sp?).in 1969. I was from Massachusetts and pulled into town the spring of 1969 with a chick named Jackie who wound up in Tulsa later – smacking it – that was never my thing – just a lot of orange sunshine and pot….glad it is legal finally here in Massachusetts for recreational use. getting back to Eric, Tom – etc….There was Philip from Denver, Spiderman from El Monte California, Brian Stearns (sp?), Doctor John, Holly, Angel, etc. —My dear STP Goodwoman!!!!! thank you for making my day!!!!!!!!!! Have the best of holidays/Christmas/2019

STP Goodwoman: I just realized that you were STP John’s old ‘lady’ – you were wondering if we had ever met in below message – knowing your relationship with John – we HAD to have met….of course, i used to drop everyday back then – so some of it was a total blur – but we had to have – John was such a nice guy – i remember him riding around on his bicycle. We lost him too young. heh heh – i used to drop everyday in 1969 – went home for the winter and came back spring of 1970 – when i saw people i knew they took a close look and exclaimed “my god – i’ve never seen you straight before”…never forgot those comments to this day….ah – when we were young!
be well to all out there!
keep posting – your messages make me smile and i am glad that we have those that still survive from those days of an entirely different time. I am proud to say that I was part of all of it – and those people i knew will always own a large piece of my heart – forever.

Reading your question I thought ‘Dear God. How can I remember that?’ Then I looked and saw that just above the ‘responses’ box there were several posts listed as ‘related’. Amazingly, to me, these were the very ones you requested. Increasingly, I am appreciating the modern world. Here is the most relevant to the STP post:https://caelumetterra.wordpress.com/2005/02/28/the-orchardmen-part-1/

Unless I miss my guess, the “related posts” algorithm is driven by “key words” or, perhaps, short phrases, in your post. I’m pretty sure that’s the same kind of algorithm Google Ads uses when it “decides” which ads to place next to articles in ad-supported blogs or Web sites.

This has led to ads for “Safe Schools Kits” from (ahem) GLAAD next to Rod Dreher’s posts on same-sex marriage, as well to as ads for Christian-run crisis pregnancy centers next to articles on abortion. Of those two, you get one guess as to which practice Google has agreed, under pressure, to discontinue…

Had the chance to know quite a few thru Greek Mary an a friend Major an Nancy. Started my friendship in Syracuse new york, Madison Wis, Boulder, Alb. New Mex., Austin Tex., New Orleans an truly miss alot of them, even thou I was not a member I will never forget my friendship with many. RIP Major

Major and I were partners. I used to be the only person who could bring him out of an epileptic seizure. It was hard when he died. And his child Miles, too. Greek Mary and I had an on-and-off love affair, I think I was more in love with her than she with me. But we were good friends, too. Her partner Beth was killed long ago. Death has stalked us all of our days.

Dave either you or your brother might remember Major, mary, nancy, Debbie and my self stayed at your house in the basement for a couple days till we left and went to Cuba where Major asked me to go with Nancy and make sure she was ok bact to new york, we came back and I left an never to see Major again Dave the memories I hold I cherish as I know you do, I was never a member just a tag a long. Major use to come to Syracuse and work painting for Nancys dad and that is how we met. Greek Mary lives in Syracuse but have never ran into her I asked her brother to relay a message but no results. I always wondered what happened to Spooky, Billy Rocket, Beth.

This is the Governor I knew. My ol’lady was a dark haired Gypsy witch looking girl who had a 4-5 yr old daughter. She had a check and a place to stay. You may have stayed with us. We last lived on 5th and Canyon, where Bishop died.
Indian Andy

I was friends with spooky when he was in worcester,ma 1971, 1972, were is is now ? also I new a Gray, is was young than 16 , came to worc, with spooky , he is in that pic with spooky and debbie, does anyone know of him? or what happen to him in dec, of 72, I went with him to troy, maine, but I got home sike and left

I was friends with Spooky, too, and I also was in Worcester, MA in 72. Perhaps we met? There were a lot of us there. I came in with Izzy. Did you know him? We were living out by a lake for a while, eating catfish. I still have a scar on my foot from gouging it on a submerged log in that lake. We eventually moved into town, but I can’t remember much about the place, except that I think it was a basement. I knew Girly Gary, but I have no idea where he got off to. In fact, I don’t know where many of my old family are, except that now and then I hear that another one of us has died.

Does anyone see this message?email out gmail me if you do.I am on Face book (Rodney Meeks)rodneymeeks42@gmail inform me as to the demise of old family members do I can contact them yours truly STP ” Governor”(the handsome black dude) where is Toothless George?

Rick,(Dave too) hey bros, I just came across this site looking for info on Midget Jessie, he’s on his way to prison for trying to set a bomb in Nederland in retaliation for Dep. I’m still living here in New Mexico, CrackerJack, Lil’ John and me, we had a STP website set up for awhile, a lot of people put in pics and memories, just rambling….itchie richie

Dave, sorry to tell you this, Iz passed away late last year. Wabbit, John Bowery, and Grub all fell lately. It is the affliction of age that is dragging most of us down anymore.
I am trying to find the whereabouts of Midget Jessie. He was arrested for allegedly leaving some sort of device by the Nederland sheriffs dept. last year. He was going to be sentenced in April, (they were asking for life!). His name is David Ansbury, and we need to do what we can to comfort him. There is evidence that this might be his “swan song” as his health has deteriorated as of late. Anything we can do and especially our prayers will help. Bless you brothers and sisters. I.R.

Hey there, Ritchie! I had heard that you were living in northern New Mexico. It seems a lot of us landed close by to stops on the circuit. I ended up going to college at UNM, then to UofA, then to UofMichigan. I live nowhere near the old hangouts now. I’m next door to Dubai. Rick’s in Tucson and trying to get hold of as many Family as he can. He’s writing a book about us. We’re both on that there Facebook thingy, but he is more active on it than I am. Look us up. You’ll see a recognizable pic from those days as our profile pic. We’ve both got the same one, because we both appear in it. Twins, don’t ya know?

Dave, wow man, I heard you might be in the mid-east, could you have found a quieter place to be? I’ll try to write Rick up. I’ve been in touch with CrackerJack a lot, Grub (RIP) and I had a place out here for a few years. These sites give us a great forum to connect. There are many out there I have to give thanks too, along with many to beg forgiveness from. We were surely out there! I.R.

I keep trying to reply to your messages, and they don’t appear. Here we go again. I heard about Iz. But I got to talk to him over skype in 2015. He was obviously affected by his stroke, but I had hope that he would improve. Instead, he went downhill. I heard he had another. I knew about Wabbit and Grub earlier by reading an old Family web page. Didn’t hear about John Bowery until I got back in touch with everyone in 2015. Those of us who survived are all getting old. And death has been stalking us since we were young.

Can you provide a few of those links you have found? My brother and I have been trying to find family, but we mostly find cold links. Yours is the most recent mention that I’ve seen. Everything else dates to about 2009. Have the rest of us died?

Looking at the date of this post, I can see that right about the same time – it may have been the same early morn – I was up with jet lag having just returned to SW Asia from a long trip to the States – I finally found family. I’ve even been reunited with some – with more joyous reunions planned – they are scattered all over the States, concentrated in the old stops on the circuit. I had been actively searching since winter 2011. I think it was my first visit to California in 4 decades to visit my newborn granddaughter on the Central Coast – right at the hopping off point halfway between SF and LA – that brought the memories back. People and dogs are still hopping off there. That, and turning 60, which, they say, brings cause for reflection on the past. Many of us are still alive and doing well, with some remarkable success stories. My brother – just posted below – has begun writing our history. We owe you a debt of gratitude for finally reuniting us with our brothers and sisters from long ago.

I was STP Goodwoman – my ole man was STP John. Most of the family I knew and lived with have disappeared with time. Some to death but others to just getting lost. And several came before the family that exists in photos and facebook timelines or blogs today. Annie Fanny (Little Brother’s ole lady during my time and daughter of a diplomat), Hawkus, JC, Zak and Caroline, Janis (Roach’s ole lady), Wheatgerm (became Adam because of the draft), Betty Boop, And btw – John and I were both kids of university professors :) And not to put down the “later” family, honest, but I was visiting in Minnesota when John was murdered and he would write to me depressed and sad because of the change in the family – lying, thieving. The family I knew was never violent or threatening. Dirty for sure and often drunk (some more than others!) but never violent. I’ve been lucky to meet family I never knew back in the day and whatever went down in the past, I have found only good folks. Definitely not violent! Not scary!

Hi STP Goodwoman I usually don’t post a thing but I knew all of the original STP family and I was also a member of the STP family. I knew all the members you mentioned Zac Caroline Hawkus Little Brother and STP John Bishop came later as well as Deputy Dog who I also knew and how could I forget potato head John or John the Baptist. I for some reason did a search today and finally found a post with the real people who knew the original family from NYC where the STP family was formed after the first Central Park B In Love In where STP was handed out for free and many had good trips and some had bad. We were a family that looked out for each other from coast to coast. This at first was a loving family and John was such a wonderful sweet person. I lived with them in NYC and the Haight in 1968 and 1969. I was their friend and miss them all the time. When John was murdered I went to Boulder to see if I could help because they also had Little Brother in jail. I think Bishop was in jail at this time also. I will say that the family was not racist but the Boulder people were. I stayed on the Boulder campus while I was there. I can only remember good times with these brothers and sisters. I agree with what you have said.

Richard, Richard, Richard! You knew them, too?! Did we ever meet? I LOVE hearing from other people who knew the family that I knew! It makes me feel so happy. I would love to talk with you and hear your stories. Can we? I’m so glad that you remember the family in the same way I do. Are you on facebook? would you contact me there? Holly Smith Randall. Love to you –

Hi STP Goodwomen. Peace and Love. Yes I am an original from the beginning of the STP family. It is so good to meet you again. Yes we met maybe once or twice in New York with STP John and Little Brother. I did friend you in Facebook. I am Sifu Richard Walker. I knew them from New York and they lived with me for awhile in the Haight and also the Gough Street house. They called me Richie. I was also the first Buccaneer. I stayed in Boulder for awhile. I also knew the band Zephyr. I was good friends with the organ player. I knew him from Cincinnati Ohio. It is so outrageous to meet someone from back in the day. It is so nice to make your acquaintance. Peace and Love my sister. Richie

The family was very smart and wonderful human beings and we suck together and shared the grandiloquence of nature in many surroundings throughout the USA.They are okeedoke!…GOVERNOR please email me or something! Wow!

I knew STP John,Zac,JC and Little Brother from my village days in 68, if I recall correctly. I recall making a mistake and either John or Little Brother said don’t ever be sorry. There was a crash pad upstairs from the Hells Angels HQ on East 3rd street and another one I forget where. Goodwomen,do you remember Turtle from the village days?
I went out to Boulder spring 69 and got busted with JC in the park day I arrived as a runaway and had my first plane ride when they flew me back east.

Was that “Home Inc” run by a manic called little Jesus and his brother “saint” another pyscopath! The Hells angels use to sometimes visit upstairs to see if there were any find girls hanging out so they could prey on them.They looked like Vikings in appearance.Real scary! Nobody in NYC was crazy enough to fuck with them.Do you know “toothless George” of the Stp family who use to hang out in the village at that time (WoodStock festival was going on at that time) let me know if you have any info on his demise.

The STP family are the best human beings I’ve encountered on earth.STP toothless George brought me from NYC to Boulder Colo on a rescue mission and inducted me into the family.He was arrested the night we arrived in Boulder when the riots on the Hill took place! (Not long after Woodstock)….what happened to Mona Calona and Greek Mary I am “Governor

STP Goodwoman,
Although this is years later perhaps I’ll strike a chord. I don’t know if you remember me but we lived together for a short time on Clara st. in San Francisco. I was an AWOL soldier and wore very thick custom made glasses, I hung around with Friar Tuck and a bunch of folks from Denver and Boulder ( I was from Denver) , Rocky Raccoon, and his fat friend who’s name was Kerns ,both from Shady side Pittsburgh, Little Brother and I started to sell STP for the chemist next door , I was the one who took him to SF General when he ODed on STP. I also hung around with Randy and helped him find a place in North Beach when he broke , either his leg or arm I don’t recall for sure which.
You may remember raiding the St. Francis’s Pie company that was a couple of doors away from the Clara St. House. We all used to crash and intermingle with a group on Gough St. as well. I remember your’e leaving to go back East from Clara St. and never saw you again but I will admit that like a lot of the guys back then I had a bit of a crush on you. Not that you would have noticed me as I was a minor figure there but I was part of the Family for the period I hung with you all There was also a dog around named Flying Saucer that John seemed to dote on.
It was a long time ago but I do remember you all fondly and disagree with the OP’s view towards the moral character of the various family members.
Tim Ramsey
Springfield , Oregon

Goodwomen.I knew STP John,Little Brother,Zac in the 60’s in the East Village.Was a runaway and stayed in crashpads run by the STPers from what I remember.Betty Boop rings a bell.I remember crashing in a pad upstairs from the Hell’s Angles NYC HQ.I went out to Boulder in early 69 and got busted on the Hill same day I arrived,with JC If I recall correctly.I got busted being a runaway.I just turned 15 and was sent home.My street name was Semore.

I lived in Peaceful Valley the summer of 1970 and recall buccaneer ridge, where the old STP camp was. I hung on the hill with Deputy Dawg, Crackerjack and others. Rick and Dave, the twins, I remember from Ann Arbor. Im from Worcester too and remember some of them there too, like Otis, Spooky and Reb.

On the morning of Ash Wednesday 1973 I put STP Trisha on a westbound on the levee in New Orleans. We rode that train all the way to Houston. Unable to catch out from there we hitch-hiked to San Antone, where we caught another westbound. Then I saw the prettiest sight of my life. In Southeast Arizona there’s a salt pan called the Willcox Playa. The Southern Pacific tracks bisect it there, and the winter rains had made a lake of it. By good fortune we had boarded a boxcar with both doors open. The train glided slowly on its tracks, the only high ground anywhere in view. It was like coasting on a yacht on an endless sea. I sat in the doorway playing Juventino Rosas’ “Sobre las Olas” on my guitar. I dropped her off in Tucson, and continued on to LA, and then northward to SF and then onward. I only later heard what she said about that trip. “I travelled a thousand miles with that man,” she exclaimed, “and he never said two words!”

That was the year we all stayed in that house on Elysian Fields. M.Jessie slept in the fireplace because he said it was the safest place in the house, and ‘Skrat almost got shot going through the next door neighbors car looking for cigarette butts. You and your brother watched my dog “Wally” for me whilst I was in Jail. There must have been about twenty of us in that little house. National Observer did a piece on the family with a picture of Muskrat and tom on the cover.. You could put a chapter in the book about that Mardi Gras alone in your book.There was so much going on then. We heard about L.B. then too. I.R.

I remember living with the STP family in the fall of 1971 when I was 17. There were a bunch of abandoned houses that were slated for demolition in downtown Boulder for a street project and we would move from house to house until they got too filthy even for us (usually it was the dogs crapping everywhere). Eventually it got too cold and I hitchhiked back to Iowa. The STP family seemed more afraid of the cowboys up in the foothills than anyone appeared afraid of the family. I never saw any violence.

Hi, I met Little Brother and Grandfather in New York around 1968 – my last year in NYC. When I ended up in Nederland, CO, I found LB again. I lived with the family in the house in Nederland. I was Stan’s (Crazy Mescalero Apache) old lady for a while. Charlie Blackbeard and Stella lived there with their beautiful Great Danes. We had a great time partying and getting into trouble. We all got busted once for a bunch of ‘stems and seeds’ and one rifle that wasn’t worth anything. We partied the whole time. After that, I was with the MDA Kid for a while. The cowboys up in the mountains were scary and there were stories about them killing STP Family members and throwing them into mine shafts. I’ll never forget those days (well, at least what I can remember). Thanks for bringing back some memories.
Jan

Those were really different and exciting times. 6 months after I left Boulder I found myself stationed at Ft. Bragg as a 18 year old paratrooper. I did all that before the rest of my class graduated from high school. When I was discharged I went to college on the GI Bill, worked at a VA hospital, had jobs at 3 universities…… and now I do something completely different, (public health) and I’m sure that no one who knows me now, or anyone who knew me back then, would ever believe I’m the same person. My point echoes Mr. Nichols comments about the resiliency of the human spirit, but, I’d like to add that if we were the same people we were at 16 or 17 we would have never grown.

Governor! I’m Twin Dave. I’ve been wondering about you for ever and ever, good friend. Beth died long ago. It wasn’t pretty. Moon died long ago, too. Dave died, too, but later. Skrat lives in Oregon. My brother just talked to him recently. Do you have Facebook? Look up my brother there. You know his street name. He thinks that he saw Pooch in LA. I stumbled across Jerome in Union Station, but lost touch. The others you name seem to be lost, either laying low or having gone on to the other side. Others are still with us, I’m happy to say. My brother is in touch with many of them. I’m on Facebook, too, but not too active. Look me up, too, and tell me what you’ve been up to, bro.

WOW! I was just surfing and got your post.I am on Face book under Rodney Meeks I am trying to recall a twin Dave.How can I contact you etc what is your name and do you have a photo?I would especially what to know the demise and whereabouts of STP brother Toothless George.He saved my life and I always think about him and the STP family.I can’t believe I made contact with a family member.I just about have up on looking.Patty and Skid row Abbey,Poop,Itchy Richie.TRY TO Contact me I am in Gainesville Fla.(The Florida Gators)I hope I am sending this message correctly WOW!

The last I saw George was at Val’s house in San Antonio mid 70s. talked to Pooch on the phone about 10 years ago. He was in Florida.Poop is in Wash and so is Scrat .Itch Richie is in NM. Lots of us still around. –Crackerjack

Hey peoples, Candyman here, just stopping by to put in my two cents. to Governor, George was with me in Oregon back in like ’73 and we planned to meet in New Mexico for tree planting in the spring but he never showed. I think something happened to him on the way, because nobody has heard from him since. I knew John and Little Brother in New York before they went to Boulder to form the family. when I got out of prison I went to Boulder in ’71 and reunited with the family. I then traveled with Slim for a while, and then Ron Kelley. I ended up in Oklahoma, where we had a great reunion back in ’99 and 2000. I’m still here in Ok, and work in the environmental field. I think those of us who have survived are living and doing the things we most enjoy and learned on the road. If you didn’t experience our type of lifestyle, you’d never understand us or our politics. It did get crazy after a while and that’s why I came to Ok, to hide out and get my shit together, knowing that some factions of the family wouldn’t come to Ok because there is nothing here for street people. I have a lot of stories as I’m sure everyone else here does, I tried writing some of them down, but there are a lot of gaps. and the timeline keeps moving. my old brain is still doing pretty good otherwise, I’ll be turning 67 this Friday, and I can’t believe that I’m still kickin’ and along with others who are still around. STP forever!

toothless george and tom rush won a tree planting awards they talked about in 74, after leaving cuba nm, i ran into both of them in kanab ut, at the liquor store heading to the rainbow gathering in utah 74. after that onward to spokane wa for the worlds fair 74. last I seen geroge. but tom rush died in spokane about 4 or 5 years ago, saw him take his last breath.

I ran into someone who looked like Tom Rush in Monterrey in early summer 2005. He was certanly old enough; but he was hanging with a gang of much younger kids and a pack of dogs. He touched me for money, and I gave him a five. We hung out for a while talking. For a moment, it was as if I were back in the early 70s. He and and all those kids looked the same as we used to.

Another perspective. My father owned a small business on the hill in Boulder during the 60/70s. I was only 10, but remember the STP family. Patty Rotten Crotch, deputy dawg,spooky and many others use to hang out high at the boulder bandshell. My friends parents and my parents told us kids that most were burn outs and violent! Steer clear! Honestly, all I remember we’re crazy dressed, drunk,foul talking street people that were fun to observe. Looking back, I think some of those Boulder Cowboys up in the hills were the real trouble makers along with the local police. They were paranoid, racist, small minded people who were afraid of what they thought the STP family represented. I miss the days gone by that one could watch the colorful characters of that era in Boulder. I, for one Boulder local, wish the STP family was still in town up on Magnola road hitchhiking, on the Hill, the assay office bar in Nederland or in peaceful valley. Had I been a few years older- I’d have tried to join the STP family.

It would only have to have been a few years older! Some of us were as young as fifteen when we started out. I was seventeen when I ran into family in Boulder. By that time, I’d been on the streets for a year. Glad to hear from a local from those days. What was your father’s shop called? And what did he sell? Maybe I went in. I remember a small store on the hill that I used to like. I hope that was it. I was in Boulder last November, reading old copies of the Colorado Daily in the U of Colorado library, researching things for my brother, who is writing a book about the days. I was going to head to the Hill for a bit of recollection of the old days, but when I got out of the library, it was snowing, so I hightailed back to the hotel. Gotta go back.

Rancid Randy here. Dear IR Richie, I’ve seen you up here on another site too. Been trying to reach you for a couple years. I have some good memories of you .One time not so good but,mostly good.I’d like to hear from you.My e-M is randyz760@frontier.com.

Hey Rich,How great to hear back from You .When I mentioned the bad times I was referring to NOLA.That was a rough city to be homeless in.And,yes I do remember hangin’ with you ,G-Mary and Abbe down in the Quarter.Remember our trips to the A+P?. How about the free store across the river in Algiers and the free ferry w’d take to get there. Weren’t you down there the year a sniper took over the Howard Johnson’s downtown hotel? And, I might have known Jamie if he was from Vermont or New Hampshire or thereabouts.I didn’t really get of the road till 77 + Finally landed in Oregon.. Can You believe it ? It’s been 44 years since we connected.I’ll be staying in touch soon. Peace.

Does anyone remember Tony and Jamie, Granny and that great dog “Fetch”? Like Randy said, there were good times and some not so good, (mostly good though).
To this day I have been thankful to Izzie (Israel) for saving me from something that would most likely have put me in a place that could have ruined many years of my young life. And some would have said my actions would have been justified.
Sorry if my recollections seem to bounce around the timeline a bit. Certain things arrive in my head in colorful bits and pieces.
Maybe it was all a dream. I.R.

I just read an article about lying in the National Geographic. It dawned on me that a lot of our stories seem fantastical and they are made up, or embellished. One virtue that runs through the family when dealing with our loving public is honesty. You cannot make this stuff up, and if anything our tales need to be played down.
Here is a funny little aside. I was sitting on a brick wall on 24thst. in Austin one day. The wall bordered a fraternity house. Suddenly the door burst open, and a bunch of jocks, (never our champions) came running out of the house carrying this little hippy dude who hung out on the drag. They ran across the street and threw him in the dumpster behind the mini-mart. A few moments later his head popped out of the dumpster and he called to me, “Hey Richie, hop in thery’re taking us to a party”. These are the things that would happen to most of us on a daily basis.
Jean Shepard must have been STP. I.R.

rancid randy : REDMAN here, last saw you on the shore of Lake Harriet in Mpls MN. Wow that was weird, heard your voice pan handling ” spare change? ” and knew it was you before I even spotted you. I am going to email you directly as stated. We ran together from Tuscon to NOLA with Asshole Dave and the lot. It was my idea to Dave to go to NOlA. The family bought that blue Ford panel truck for $75 bucks I believe. San Antone and those Mexicans who took you and I home with them. So much adventure

HI Richie, the last time I saw D.Dave was after we returned to NOLA after out trip to Key West.You haven’t seen any “Wreckless Eyeballing” lately have you Rich ? He-He Hee. Hey I’m glad to be in touch Richie. Send me an E-M when you can. Were you there in NOLA the year of the Sniper ?

Yes we were there .It is a shame when people loose their lives for so called causes, (sniper). I looked up “Wreckless Eyeballing” and it doesn’t sound like something I’d be caught up in.
C.Jack, Lil Gypsy, and I were arrested in Gretna on our way there. They had us on weapons and marijuana charges. We were released when the owner of said items claimed them after he was put in the lockup with us. Mona C. entered the scene then as a runaway. Luckily we were gone before they figured that out.
Peace and may God bless everyone , I.R.

Hi Richie, I’m pretty sure that was the same Year I spent seven months or more down there.. I was there for Halloween, Christmas, New Years and then Mardi Gras. By the time Mardi Gras came around I was so burned out that I really didn’t give a shit. It was a particularly cold winter that year in the south. What I remember about You most Richie was the kindness and generosity You showed towards me.A lot of times I’d run into you when I was sick and needed a drink bad you’d make sure we got a jug and got me well. and you’d usually just have a few swigs and tell me to keep the rest.On another occasion you gave me a coat when all I had was a blanket to wrap around me.I wore that coat till it fell apart .During Mardi I banged my leg on a parkbench in J.Square.The next day front part of my calf was swelled up bad and turning black n blue.After 3 days it was looking really bad.I couldn’t get into Charity hospital so I had to hitch to Beaumont,TX and spent two weeks in the hospitlal with blood poisoning. They told me I could have lost that leg. Peace. Randy

They haven’t changed, one just planted a bomb at the Nederland police station! The fact that you think it’s good that people with no conscience or morals are surviving and breeding is appalling! And the fact that you think your better than others is sick…

I couldn’t agree with you more! and the lack of conscience has run rampant in the world today. this country is in a sorry state to put it mildly. I look back to the days of our youth and appreciate the time we did have when people cared about each other – and to be violent, jealous, uncaring, etc. was WAY UNCOOL
Be well

in response to n.b. and m. Yes we have and will survive, that is what we strive for. Unfortunately many have fallen by the wayside long ago and some recently too. As far as no morals or conscience are concerned, I feel remorse for anyone who fell into the hands of someone who (truly or falsely) represented the Family in the days long gone.
I am very happy to claim that there were and are many friends from all stations and stripes that held Family members and associates in high esteem.
I will not mention names but the list is not only extensive but contains some remarkable persons. I realize that our “theater” could be alarming to some, and we did inhabit an intense niche in an incredibly intense era. Yeah there was some outrageousness, calamity and noise, but there was also beauty. wonder, creativity and music. And currently there are many brothers and sisters who lead mostly quiet but successful lives. Most of us have endured addictions and afflictions only to arrive on the other side with an appreciation for life with the satisfaction of being redeemed! Notice that I did say “most”, but not necessarily all. We do try to help those less fortunate, and there are some who were not able to escape the tumultuous life of the street. Be that as it may, yes we have bred and we have survived and even have much to contribute. And yes I am talking about the STP Family, which would include all varieties of outcast freakdom and whatnots!!
What happened in Nederlands last year was extremely unfortunate. It was an inappropriate and delayed response for the murder of one of our own. It was misdirected (the one responsible for our brothers death is being judged in a Higher court). Have no doubt though, I for one still love and pray for my brother in jail, I did and do love him though his fate in this life has been sealed, but do not for a minute believe we all condone his misguided attempt at retribution. This is from someone with no (sic) conscience or morals.
by the way may the Good Lord bless you and keep you. sTp I.R. tTt

This message is to Nunya.I’m proud of all the folks out there who’ve survived Ever heard of something called love, forgiveness,compassion? I would pray for that tormented soul that planted that bomb.As for the family folks I knew,We were about love not hate.You don’t even seem like someone from our generation .As for you I feel you’re a sorry individual for the hate you carry in your heart towards people you never even knew or met

I agree Rancid Randy – we live in a sorry world these days – things were totally different back in the late 60s/early 70s and further. it was not COOL to be nasty or violent. If you behaved in that fashion your friends would have a problem with you.

Who knows what Jesse was thinking. There was no justice to be had in the cold blooded murder of a family member. I’m not saying what he tried to do was right and it saddens me to see what they’re gonna do over it. If there was one person I would have sworn that would never make to old age it was Jesse. Not to long ago he came to visit. Me, Abbe, Dave, Karen and Jesse all had dinner together and as I looked around the table I was amazed and happy that we all managed to make it this far.

Hi Morgan, Are you speaking of Dingy Dave ? I’d really like to contact him as we were tight friends and did some travelin’ together.Abbe was my friend too. Did you spend time in Boulder, Nederland,or, up in the MTNS. I was there.I’m leaving my e-mail here so you can pass it on to any of my friends who’d like to say Hey! can. . Randy. randyz760@frontier.com

Hello Morgan, glad to make your acquaintance. I’ve heard that Dave wasn’t doing too well, please send him my regards. Abbe and Karen too!
Jesse came out and stayed with us for awhile. He was on a train ride on his way east. I was happily surprised to catch him in good health. We went over and picked up Grub (RIP) in Cuba and had a cookout. I hoped to see Jesse again, we did manage to talk over the phone via Crackerjack. I am very sad about this affair and we pray that somehow there might be a happy ending.
God bless you and yours, Richie. itchy ritchy, (I’m not even sure how to spell it).

and the names you post – some I remember from on the Hill – and some not – but they sure as hell make me :) –I will always remember STP John – a kind hearted and nice guy – and Deputy Dawg as well – I liked them both and I knew them best out of the STP in Boulder at that time

It is hard for me to remember the names after all of these years. I would venture to say that ‘yes’ is probably close to the correct one. I didn’t hang around with the STP – except for some time with Deputy Dawg. John would just show up on the hill – sometimes buying me breakfast with his kind heart. I swear, you guys, actually reading some of these posting brings joy to my heart. A piece of me will ALWAYS be in Colorado–the hill, the cabins on the lake in Nederland and those mountains. God bless you all

I have been back to Boulder area 2 times in many years – once in 1997 and once in 2001. Talking with anyone I could find – trying to find some of the people I had been close to. One name that came up in 2001 was a guy “Lucky” who was living in the mountains somewhere. I never did find out how to find him. He was someone I knew in 1970 on the hill. If he is still breathing he probably is on a mountain top somewhere there.
Otherwise, I was close to folks: Margo, Tom, Spiderman (Spider), Doctor John, Philip (from Denver), Eric, Stan Sokolow (who I found in Truth or Consequences these days), Brian Stearns, Speed freak Wayne (from Texas), Holly, Angel are some of the names I remember.

Richie,If I somehow have offended you in any way by anything I have written Here please accept my apology .Last time I saw you was at the “Stone House” in Tucson I started a fight with you but you finished it.I also wanted to say to you and anyone else.I’m not STP family.Never claimed that I was.I stayed with the Asshole Family.Which began with Dave,Poop and me.We grew in numbers in Tucson and went to NOLA in an old panel truck for our first Mardi Gras I felt sad when I learned of Daves passing.Once upon a time Dave and I were best friends.When we first met in Seattle. Dave was pretty much right off the boat from Alaska as he was a salmon fisherman.We shared a couple apartments there and on one day we walked downtown and met Poop on a corner selling the local underground newspapers.We became fast friends.Poop was telling us about Boulder a lot and,what a cool place it was.If it were’nt for Poop Dave and me might have never went to Boulder.II’m sorry I was never able to see Dave as we had a falling out in the late 70s.I got drunk on a whole gallon of wine and passed out and woke up in a blackout,mad an ass out of myself and Dave gave me a busted lip and threw me out at 5am.Wished I could have apoligzed to him too but we never saw each other again. Best Wishes for for everyone in the new year. RR

Hey bro, you can hold your head high man, I see no offense. After all the red and white port that sustained us in the armpit of our youth we all need to forgive and beg forgiveness. You just know this cat here woke up with a powerful case of the worries about “what did I do, what did I do?” ( and most times I didn’t do anything!).
I met Dave in Boulder, LB had him stashed in some bushes with a wicked case of staff, we had to carry him all the way to the hospital. The last time I saw him, he, Kenny, me and Muskrat all got popped for sleeping in a church. We probably would not have gotten busted if ‘Skrat didn’t decide to be Keith Emerson on the church organ at 3 oclock in the morning. RED PORT!!!!
Speaking forgiveness my brothers and sisters, the Lord knocks on all our doors and I decided to answer about 9 years ago. Of all the acid and whatnot, that blew my mind, nothing, NOTHING! compares to this wonderful trip I’m on now. It is because of His saving grace that the Lord keeps us when by all accounts we should fall. Keep Him in mind while there is still time.
Love and prayers to all. I.R.
PS: Happy, did you get a hold of Yurick?

That’s cool Richie,We did do a lot of that Mad Dog too back in the day.Last time i saw Poop was back in the 80s In Seattle.He always had a listed phone# I’ve tried to locate him but with people with cell phones today seldom have listed #s anymore. I remember Abbe playing guitar and singing sweetly in Jackson Square.I’d like to share a story about Dingy Dave’s and our disaster of a trip to Key West but I’d prefer to share it with you in an E-M. It isn’t bad or anything but I don’t want to share with anyone but real Family people.You’ve got my E-M so catch ya later. Blessings. R.R

I.R.Since 1992, as a hobby I have been searching for and writing about my experiences collecting messages hitchhikers have left on light poles and guardrails as they waited for rides along North American highways; amassing thousands of inscriptions spanning from 1962 all the way through to today. A few years ago, I began developing the website Hitchhiker Graffiti to post the essays of my experiences and the logs of the actual messages; see https://www.hitchinscriptions.com/.

Now I’m to the point of attempting to find out about the authors–primarily through Boolean-type Internet searches; which brings me to this message to you. Several years back, among dozens of other inscriptions written on a light pole at the on-ramp of PCH-Cal-1 (Southbound) in Aptos, CA @ Freedom Blvd, I found the following inscription:

STP Kenny Redport

Kenny Redport is dead. Probably because he was an asshole
—>
This fucker shot himself and shit. He also broke a
bottle of red port over my head

Googling “STP” + “Kenny Redport” led me to this website.

Does this make any sense to you?

FYI, since January 2015, I have been attempting to interact in a similar manner with many others from their graffiti I have found, and have thus far been successful in contacting and being responded to by several one-time hitchhikers or their relatives. These have included a bluegrass musician from Vancouver, BC; poet from San Francisco; carpenter from Gabriola Island, BC; insurance agent from Warsaw, IN; brother of a deceased trading post owner from Taos, NM; ski resort manager from Vail, CO; family of a deceased awning shop owner from Long Beach, CA; widow of a radio host from Eureka, CA; home remodeler from Barrington, RI; interior decorator from Sunnyvale, CA; middle school math teacher from Duvall, WA; commercial real estate broker from SoCal; saguaro cactus walking-stick carver from the Tohono O’odham Nation in Sells, AZ; painter/sculptor from Santa Cruz, CA; cousin of a deceased Viet Nam War Veteran from Texas; bandmate of a deceased musician/painter from Slovenia; nurse from Wolf Creek, OR; SoCal gal now living in Americus, GA; professional photographer from northern Montana; a guy from Keokuk, IA; and a retired B&O Railroad worker from central Ohio. And the responses have been amazing, both to the authors or their relations and to myself.

With this message to you, as it is with the act of hitchhiking and with life in general, it’s mostly about the journey. I have absolutely no idea where this and any of the other similar queries I am sending out to others who may have written on a light pole while waiting for a ride will, in the thumbers’ vernacular, “drop me off.”

Lastly, I thought I might pass along to you one of the many observations I have made during this endeavor; that the inscription written by the hitchhiker on a light pole at a highway on-ramp is the exact opposite of a message corked in a bottle and cast into the sea. For in the case of the thumber, it is the message that remains and the author who drifts away to the unknown.

If you wish, you can respond to me at my email address accessed on my website.

I realized this is a long shot but I am trying very hard to find someplace to get a hold of anyone in the STP family. I can’t seem to find their webpage. I am looking for Happy from Berkeley around 1975. Actually it’s his son Joshua that is trying to find him we last saw him in Spokane in 1996 and he still goes to the family reunions and plays the blues harp. Any information you could provide I’ve left my name and email address thank you so much sincerely

I attended the University of Colorado in Boulder between 1970-72 and remember the STP Family. You were right when you said there was a rough vibe to them but they were (perhaps uncharacteristically) deceptively shy and gentle people. They impressed me as kids who were neither raised in the greatest of homes nor were educated but were fundamentally decent people. (Overall, I have a good impression of them.)
I remember hearing a story regarding the murdered STP John. He was reputedly a gentle guy – but also theatrically confrontational. A young woman I knew said that he would be at these parties (in San Francisco) and approach heavy Black Panther guys. “Hey man,” he’d tell the most fearsome ones in an innocent, flower-child way, “I’m on a psychedelic trip…” It was Theatre of the Gentle. (By all reports STP John – may the Gods and Goddesses be with him – was a kind of saint – but I never met him.)
I was in Boulder when STP Deputy Dawg was murdered in 1971. I can only say that I, too, had at least one “pretty bad” encounter with the police in the area. It’s terrible to think that the murderer was only charged with manslaughter – AND PROBATION!
There is something else you or anyone reading this might find interesting:
The STP Family dressed in pretty colorful ways with the ever present STP patch, But I do recall – and I believe this happened in December of 1970 – the hippies of Boulder’s Hill were featured on a short segment on a national news channel. I never saw it and only heard about it. I would bet that famed members of The STP Family are on this brief film clip.
Peace, Edward Dalton

I thought the news program was 60 minutes—I remembered it to be 1969 – but I could be wrong since I have been trying to find it….it had a shot of inside the Sink with a bunch of my friends, Margo, Tom, Spiderman and others…if memory serves me right- —then they started to interview an older resident in town who was saying “they are alright except I wish they would clean themselves up” – and shot with a camera from the sidewalk, feet, right up to face of one of the brothers – either “Wheatgerm” or “Roach” – they were from Berkley – I don’t recall them being members of STP. I rolled into town in April of 69….and wound up giving away everything I owned and hanging out —Was around 1969 and 1970….and YES – STP John was a really nice guy —I new Deputy Dawg also nice guy….That was forever ago. When John was killed – the following day they had a party north of town at the foothills – the typical flatbed trailer and generator – I distinctly remember Zephyr and Terry Reid playing – it lasted til the next morning.

So STP Goodwoman, can you share any stories about Eric, Tom or others that I knew? I still am bugged by the fact that when I was in Nederland in 2001 some folks told me a old freak called “Lucky” was living up in those mountains. Well, Lucky was someone I knew in 1970 on the hill. I am looking forward to hearing from you –

Attention any/all STP members, or friends and family of members: I’m currently working on a project about STP Family in Boulder. I hope to tell the story of the very human lives STP members lived. The STP family’s reputation as a nasty group of violent vagabonds amongst Boulder locals and publications has never been offset by any of these tales of the caring, loving, and true family relationships that I’ve been reading about on this blog between members. Please reach out to me if you can help in any way: STPFamilyProject@gmail.com